


show's over.

by chosuiri



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Persona 5 AU, trickstar + some more as phantom thieves, triggers are limited as compared to p5 but mentions of abuse are prevalent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2017-06-07
Packaged: 2018-11-07 03:15:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11050149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chosuiri/pseuds/chosuiri
Summary: The spirit of rebellion fostered deep within the depths of Hokuto's heart for the longest time-- regardless of if he was aware of it or not. With the uprise of corruption and general negativity afoot at Yumenosaki, the discovery of another world based on one's cognition gave a certain group of students the power to fight back and stand up for those who cannot.





	1. prelude.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey i've been excitedly planning this with my friends for? a while now! i wanted to write it rlly badly so here we are. special thanks to bri and raven for brainstorming up ideas w/ me i really appreciate it!  
> for the designs i have posted them here: https://twitter.com/sweetie_wink/status/869741911212470273
> 
> note: this will be somewhat faithful to the game BUT for the sake of spicing things up there will be some definite plot changes.

 

> “Hokuto, don’t be afraid to cry,” his grandmother states with a softened expression on her face, and she strokes his head soothingly. He stays silent in response, reluctant to say anything. Even though he wants to cry, his pride stubbornly refuses to let him shed a single tear-- or maybe he’s so desensitized to the point where he simply doesn’t care anymore.
> 
> “There isn’t a need for me to cry, Granny.” He murmurs, “I understand. Their career is more important than me. I should work hard to become an excellent idol like them…”
> 
> She wraps her arms around the young boy into a tight embrace, and in his ears she whispers, “don’t limit yourself. Aim to do something that only _you_ can truly do.”

* * *

“Yo, yo! Prince-sama! Let’s get going, okay? I’m realllly excited to go! Look at how sparkly this place is!” Subaru cheers as he prepares himself to storm through the casino. Hokuto rolls his eyes, and extends an arm to drag Subaru back.

“Not so fast, idiot.” He berates the other, but not before jumping into a safer place to discuss. The security at this point is extremely high and they cannot risk anything. Although, it is a miracle in itself that Subaru has managed to even be a phantom thief for so long. Holding back another exasperated sigh and lamentation of how he’s surrounded by idiots, Hokuto adjusts his gloves-- ensuring they’re fit on his hands snugly.

“Fufu. Pierrot is being way too brASH as usUAL. Prince, I say that you take center stage on this ONE.” Their strategist informs him. Upon noticing Hokuto’s slightly befuddled face, he sighs and continues. “My, you don’t even get that at such a critical poINT, leader..? It cannot be helPED. Judging from the nature of this palACE, it seems like it will be best for you to do this in STYLE. “

Hokuto smirks, “ah, so give them a show? Very well, Augur.”

* * *

The merriment of the people were clear, as voices of merriment resound throughout the room. Suddenly, someone shouts, “it’s him!” and the whole room turns their gaze on a boy clad in black and blue with a mask on his face.

Swiftly, he makes a disappearing act before someone can alert the guards-- so banter incurs between the phantom thieves.

“Oi, oi! Prince, whaddya doin’ showing off like that? This ain’t one of yer fancy plays here!”

“Hunter, keep it down, would you? Ugh, but it can’t be helped. Stay safe, Prince!”

“Prince… we’ll act as back-up. Is that okay?”

Hokuto nods silently in response, and proceeds forward with an ostentatious sway of his hips. When he's behind the mask, his actions grew more free and he is cockier than ever--probably because he treats being the leader of the phantom thieves as a role. It's liberating, and even good practice to boot.

Smugly, he gracefully jumps from one chandelier to the next, eliciting more attention from the crowd-- especially unwanted ones from the guards. They begin to advance on him, but he simply outruns them and crawls through the event in the nick of time.

“ **_Amazing~!_ ** Don’t forget to keep up your guard, Prince-sama!” Their navigator warns with a brief chuckle, and Hokuto simply sighs in response. He resumes onward, using the layout of the backrooms to conceal him in the dark. Using unpacked boxes as cover, he launches an ambush on a guard shadow--and eliminates them immediately.

* * *

“Heh. What a showoff!”

Hokuto lands triumphantly lacking a single inch of incompetence in his entrance.

Leaving him no time to revel in his victory, a bright light shines straight onto him, rendering him vulnerable to a mob of police men waiting in front.

Backed up in a corner, Hokuto takes to the stairs behind him, making sure to check back once in a while to ensure that he isn’t being followed from behind. To his chagrin, a gun is pointed directly at his forehead. He grits his teeth, as worried voices come in a flurry.

“Prince! Prince! Are you okay?”

He’s done for, isn’t he?

He squints closely in the dim light, but as soon as he recognizes who has the gun pointed at him-- his eyes widen.

“You were sold out, Mr. Phantom Thief. I say that your time of glory has come to an end.”

His conscience begins to waver when the probing question of _who sold us out_ remains prominent in his head-- this messes up his sense of reality, and he slowly lets go of the ladder and begins his descent into doom.

 **_Are you going to let it end like this?_ ** A voice questions in his mind. Desperate for his own life, he shakes his head no. He can’t let this happen. His grandmother told him specifically that he must do what he is meant to do.

And this is it.

**_Very well. Let us form a contract. Your terms are simple. Make things right. I believe in you, young one._ **

* * *

Almost instantaneously, he wakes up on a seat on the commuting train. So it must’ve been a mere dream. Shaking his head and letting the events of the dream fade away, his eyes flicker over to the sign as soon as the intercom announces that his stop is next. In a flurry, he gets off.

Concerned about being late to class, Hokuto opens his phone to check the time. He lets out a sigh of relief when he notices he still has an ample amount of time to walk there. Although, he _is_ the class representative. Things won’t fly if he is late by even a single minute.

But a glaringly conspicuous icon on his phone stands out to him, and he looks at it with a tinge of curiosity. Knowing that it’s better to not let his phone fall victim to viruses, he drags to uninstall the app off his phone. Believing that it has been eradicated, he shoves his phone back into his school bag and makes his way to class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> anyways that was a quick glimpse of what we're getting into. ya. tell me if u liked it and then i'll continue maybe! it depends on if you guys like it! i plan on covering the whole game but... we'll see if i have the ability or time to do that. lol.
> 
> also uh. this will be interesting bc i never really wrote hokuto before,


	2. exposition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a lot of characters are gonna be introduced so i hope it's not too overwhelming!

He wakes up in a flash, and feels oddly restrained for some reason. After managing to successfully get up from his metal bed, he notes that he is actually in chains. His vision finally gains more clarity and he spots jail bars ahead.

He’s imprisoned?

He reaches out his hands to grab a bar of the prison, and peers what lies beyond it-- only to be greeted with the greenest of eyes.

He lets out a weary sigh as he inspects their features for a split second. They are identical twins, it seems, and he notices the small smiles on their faces. They move aside in sync, and Hokuto’s gaze locks with a slightly older boy in a plush, blue seat. He brings his hands together on the desk before him with a pleased expression on his face. He flashes a smile at Hokuto.

“Trickster, welcome to my Velvet Room,” he begins. His voice is somehow _seductive_ out of all things, deep and husky at the same time. It feels familiar, in a way, almost as if he’s heard it before.

“You finally woke up huh, inmate~? It took you an awfully long time! You made our master wait a really long time, you know?” The twin on the right pouts as he wiggles a finger at Hokuto. He feels threatened by this boy already.

“Aniki, stop that… anyways, the current you in reality is fast asleep right now. This is just a dream.” The other apologizes for his brother, and then motions for Hokuto to redirect his attention to the prison master.

“Kukuku… I am delighted to make your acquaintance. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. Only those bound by a ‘contract’ may enter.” He explains, although a bit cryptically, “I am Rei Sakuma, the master of this place. Please, do remember it.”

“I summoned you here so we can talk of important matters. It involves your life.”

“Why am I here? Let me out.” Hokuto speaks up, unsure if he should even trust what is going on right now. This may be a dream, but perhaps he can will himself out of it. Unfortunately, that only results in one of the twins smacking a baton against the bars he tries to shake.

“Inmate, let our master speak! I didn’t think you would be so rowdy.~”

Rei ignores what has just transpired, and instead continues on. “It’s quite surprising, however. This place reflects the state of your heart… and to think it’s a prison? How interesting…” He laughs, “it shows that you are a prisoner of ‘fate’, as they may say. You should know that ruin awaits you.”

“Ruin?” The word feels unfamiliar on his tongue.

“Kukuku… worry not, there are means to oppose such a fate. You will be undergoing your ‘rehabilitation’ towards freedom. So, do you have the resolve to challenge the distortion of the world?”

“I’d rather avoid ruin.”

Rei smiles at Hokuto’s answer with a knowing nod, “then, allow me to watch over your rehabilitation. Ah, I didn’t give the children a chance to introduce themselves…”

“I’m Hinata! I’ll make sure you’ll remember it, inmate!” The one wearing pink chirps cheerfully, and the other lets out a sigh.

“And I’m Yuta. We will be serving as wardens here. The duty of wardens is to protect inmates-- and we are also your collaborators.” Yuta explains softly, and Hokuto nods-- taking in the new information with stride.

“Well, please take all the time you need to adjust to this place. You have matters to attend to, don’t you? I will await our next meeting, Trickster.”

An alarm sounds, and Hinata speaks up, “Time's up! Don’t waste your time, go back to reality!”

* * *

“Hokuto! You’re finally awake!” A boy with red hair and a barrette pulling it back appears right in front of him. “Geez, it’s really not like you to pass out all the sudden. Something up? Are you eating well?”

“Huh? Isara, what are you doing here?” Hokuto asks, looking at him warily. He personally hasn’t seen his friend in a while, and it’s strange that he actually has passed out. Must’ve been the weird dream he had on his way to school. Or maybe he just hasn’t gotten enough sleep…

“I found you in front of the school gates, all passed out. I thought you died!” Mao jokes to lighten the mood, and shakes his head. “Anyways, glad to see you’re okay. You missed the morning classes, but I told Akiomi-sensei that you’re here. It’s lunch right now, so I should be getting to student council duties… Text me later, alright?”

He leaves the room without giving Hokuto a chance to protest, and he sighs. He takes a moment to check the time, and shakes his head.

* * *

Upon leaving the nurse’s office, Hokuto curses at himself internally for neglecting to bring a bento. With some pocket money to spare to buy from the school shop, he gets a yakisoba bread and swiftly approaches the outside area where he eats with his friends. However, within earshot he can discern an angered, adult male voice from a few feet away. A bit curious and concerned, he stops a bit so he can discreetly eavesdrop. It's not exactly morally right and he is against invading other’s privacy, but the fact that this much aggression is being directed at someone… it startles him.

“Coach Watanabe, I will do my best to improve my performance, but I must ask again! Please do not hurt any of them! Akehoshi, Isara, and Takamine are good kids, you know?” The mention of two of his friend’s name causes him to lean in closer to hear better. “If you have any frustrations, take them out on me!”

He hears a groan in response, and almost immediately the sound of commanding footsteps follow suit. The man in question emerges from his office, with a familiar third year in tow. He looks in relatively bad shape, but if he recalls correctly that is the captain of the basketball team. Chiaki Morisawa.

“Kid, don't gawk, alright? Ahaha…” The coach (he assumes) greets him, and Hokuto blinks in response.

“Pardon?” He asks, but only gets a somewhat smug laugh in response.

“Kids these days are really something, huh.” Coach Watanabe jokes, earning him an awkward chuckle from Chiaki. Shortly, the two nods at Hokuto and proceed on going on to their new destination.

Deciding to think nothing of it for the time being, Hokuto checks his phone for the time and then resumes his walk to the meeting place.

When he approaches the location, his two friends smile at him and greet him.

“Hidaka-kun, where were you?” A blond boy with glasses asks between bites of his lunch, adjusting his glasses sheepishly. “Isara-kun is busy with student council work again, so he didn't come…”

“Yuuki, Akehoshi. Sorry for making you wait, in that case.” He apologizes, taking a seat and then unwrapping the bread he got from its package. “Thank you for the food.”

However, it’s strange since he saw Mao just earlier. Could he really be that busy if he’s taken the time to help him out?

* * *

A few minutes after Hokuto’s arrival, his orange haired friend lets out a sigh as he grudgingly scarfs down his croquette sandwich. Hokuto looks at him questioningly, and the other blond boy also glances at him with a tinge of concern.

“Akehoshi. What's up?” He asks directly, narrowing his gaze as he directs it directly on his friend's miserable state.

Subaru replies with an uneasy bout of laughter, and for a second he seems to be hiding something. “Nothing! Daikichi h--”

“Daikichi-kun is fine though, isn't he? He looked lively the last time I saw him.” Makoto pipes in, pausing to look at his phone. A frown appears on his face when he sees the message, and he gets up from his seat on the bench. “Sorry guys, I have broadcasting committee business, so… I may have to help with the lunchtime broadcast. See ya later! I hope you feel better, Akehoshi-kun.”

“Don't even worry about it, Ukki~?” Subaru smiles in response, waving it off nonchalantly. But as soon as Makoto leaves them completely, Hokuto frowns and stands up from his seat. He leans right into Subaru's face apprehensively, forgetting all concepts of personal space.

“Akehoshi. Don't think you can hide anything. Spit it out already.” He threatens, although he doesn't really know what exactly he can do to force it out of him.

“Eh, why do you want to know so bad, Hokke?” Subaru pauses, and then breaks out into a large, goofy smile, “Oh! You’re worried about me, aren't you? Hehe, I knew you cared!”

“It's not that, as your class representative I am responsible for the well-being of our classmates,” Hokuto protests, which only earns him a hearty laugh in response. “Hmph. Think whatever you'd like.”

“It's not really me, I guess, but… the new basketball coach is a real jerk… every time he is really condescending to us. All he did was win in some national game or something.” Subaru sighs, “it's like… he thinks he's a tyrant of the school. It's his little empire, you know?”

“Empire..? Akehoshi, why did you stay quiet about this for so long?” Hokuto asks calmly, eyes narrowing as he tries to think of the new influx of teachers that began working this year. The one who was a champion was… “Sadao Watanabe, was that right?” That is the teacher that he ran into just earlier. He does seem arrogant, and really-- he rubs Hokuto the wrong way.

Subaru opens his mouth to speak, but he is swiftly cut off by another-- albeit mechanical voice-- that says something strange.

“Destination confirmed. Navigating…”

Before the two of them can respond, their surroundings change drastically, becoming a bit more distorted than before. Hokuto feels a strong ringing in his head, and it feels even worse than a migraine.

“Hokke, my head hurts…” Subaru whines, clutching his head while wincing from the pain he also experienced. Hokuto can only manage a nod in agreement.

Almost as if they have been swept completely into a different country completely, they are almost ankle-deep in shimmering sand. It feels a little tropical, yet primeval at the same time. The heat radiating is uncharacteristic of spring, and it's way hotter than what he and Subaru are used to.

“Hokke… where the heck are we?” Subaru yells, running around to properly inspect his surroundings. His eyes brighten when he notice the amount of shiny objects near him. “Wah, there's soooo much shiny things! The sand shines, that whole castle thingy shines, and I might be in heaven right now! What did you do? Man, this headache might’ve been worth it, then?”

“I didn't do anything,” Hokuto protests and he takes out his phone to see what exactly is going on. Noticing that there's no signal is alarming already, but then he spots that one app he thought he deleted earlier. “Why is it still here?” He whispers harshly, and he tries to delete it. Then, he pauses. “Maybe it's the app that took us here… let me open it--”

“INTRUDERS!” A distorted voice bellows in interruption, and the two are approached by several men with spears and masked heads. Hokuto eyes them easily, but Subaru focuses on how shiny their spears are. “Emperor Watanabe does not accept peasants invading on his grounds.” The leader of the guards states plainly, and the others begin to seize them and forcefully grabs them.

Both of them are too shocked to resist, and end up being hoisted into the air and are taken away.

“Akehoshi…” Hokuto mutters, gritting his teeth as he sends a glare toward Subaru’s direction.

“Isn't this your fault, Hokke?!”

* * *

He wakes up in a prison of sorts, and Hokuto lets out a sigh. This again? But upon closer inspection, it’s definitely different from the prison that he has been in earlier. However, the one they are in is laughable in comparison.

Subaru looks dazed from the day’s events, and moans in his unconsciousness. Hokuto gets on his knees and shakes his friend awake. “Akehoshi!”

Subaru’s eyes flutter open, and he rubs his eyes upon looking at Hokuto. “Huh? Hokke, you okay?”

“Yeah, but are you?”

Subaru shrugs. “I feel okay, but it doesn’t matter that much… we just gotta get out of here. This isn’t a dream. But it’s kinda stupid since the bars are made out of wood. Is that all they got? It should be gold or something! That’ll be all sparkly.”

“Yes, but it’ll be easier to break out.” He looks around to see if there’s a sword or anything of the likes lingering around. Shaking his head as he can’t identify any in the room, he wonders if he’s able to use brute force.

He tries to break the bars of their jail, but doesn’t garner any results. Subaru walks over and tries to break it as well, but he groans-- indicating that it may be stronger than what they think.

“How can wood be that strong?”

“Well, people can’t really have wood houses otherwise…”

“Eh, but this castle is probably made out of shiny gold and stuff. So why isn’t this, Hokke?”

“It’s… not made out of gold.”

Both of them sigh again, and resign themselves to their fate. “We’ll just have to wait for an opening. Can you stay quiet, Akehoshi?”

“Oh, are we gonna do one of those cool prison breaks? I’ll watch for when the guard is asleep and maybe we can reach over and get the key!” Subaru jabs a thumb at himself triumphantly, and he squats down so he can see the guard outside.

“If that doesn’t work, I guess we can always use brute force.” Hokuto reasons, mostly to reassure himself.

There has to be a reason for this, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hem hem next chapter might take a while bc i realized i don't know what their personas are gonna be. i might use norse mythology for it but if u have any ideas just tell me!
> 
> i'm also on twitter @sweetie_wink :')


End file.
